Simplified Tai Chi Chuan – DVD by Master Liang, Shou-Yu

Almost all martial artists will say that you need a good instructor. But ymaa_simplifiedtaichihaving a video or DVD at home that can help you remember or get through the rough spots is very helpful.

I was given a copy of the DVD Simplified Tai Chi Chuan featuring Master Liang, Shou-Yu for Tai Chi Day (thanks Barbara). It is an excellent companion study guide, well organized and detailed on both the Simplified 24 form and the Standard 48 form.

An outline of the content is below:

  • Intro to Tai Chi Chuan– a short description of the philosophy behind Tai Chi Chuan.
  • Intro to Simplified 24 postures (history) – details the history of the effort to take the Yang Long Form and simplify it into a form for the masses, while keeping the essence of the Long Form.
  • Names of the postures (in Chinese)
  • Simplified 24 postures
    • Front view – two versions are given, without narrative
    • Rear View – one version, without narrative
    • With Breathing Instructions – inhale and exhale indicators are show on the screen while the form is performed continuously.
    • Martial Applications – each of the 24 postures is shown, then at least one and as many as three martial applications are demonstrated in slow and regular motion. Each posture is a DVD chapter for easy searching.
    • 24 Postures Detail Section – the form is broken down into minute detail, with instructions on positioning of hands, legs, feet, and all of the movements. A ton of detail is presented, but it is done with stop motion of the form so that the instructions and the form coincide. Very well done. Again, each posture is a DVD chapter for easy searching.
  • Standard 48 Postures
    • History of 48 posture: added postures from several types of Tai Chi Chuan, details difference, including that the 24 is done at the same pace while 48 includes some Fa Jing (power emissions) done at a faster pace.
    • Names of the postures (in Chinese)
    • Front view – two versions are given, without narrative
    • 48 Postures Detail – same as with 24. Where the sequence is included in 24, the narrative is skipped. Again, each posture is a DVD chapter for easy searching.

There are also stills include of each posture. Overall, an excellent training companion for these two forms.

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1 Response

  1. May 16, 2009

    […] Source:Simplified Tai Chi Chuan – DVD by Master Liang, Shou-Yu […]

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